This past June, the Los Angeles Campus lost a remarkable, much-beloved staff member, Dax Clark, who during his seven years with us had served as Administrative Assistant in the Rabbinic School and later Director of Maintenance. Only 33 when he died, Dax left a unique mark on the campus, devoting himself in his last three years to the needs of the building with love and humor, urging the campus community to save energy in all the ways he could think of, and to show respect for our books and holy spaces by the way we handled the books and other objects that filled them. The community paid its respects to his memory in a Memorial Service Thursday, August 30, in which Dean Steven Windmueller and Rabbi Richard Levy reiterated the remarks they had sent to be read at the funeral in Rochester, NY on July 1. Dean Windmueller also read a letter written by President David Ellenson and Dr. Lewis Barth, former Dean of the L.A. Campus. A rabbinic student wrote a musical piece based on the energy chart Dax had placed in the elevator to alert people to how much energy each elevator rise expended, and other students integrated some of Dax's exhortations into the service. Dax's widow, Kerri Clark, and his parents, Rodney and Sharon Clark, his sister, Robin Finnman, and friends were in attendance as well, and Joan Spearman, Director of Operations, read Dax's father's eulogy from the funeral. Two large trees were placed in the lobby in Dax's memory, and four Japanese maples were planted on the lawn as well. Videos of Dax's young life were played during a lunch attended by the community. It was a fitting tribute for remarkable young man who loved this College very much.

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Founded in 1875, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is North America's leading institution of higher Jewish education and the academic, spiritual, and professional leadership development center of Reform Judaism. HUC-JIR educates leaders to serve North American and world Jewry as rabbis, cantors, educators, and nonprofit management professionals, and offers graduate programs to scholars and clergy of all faiths. With centers of learning in Cincinnati, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York, HUC-JIR's scholarly resources comprise the renowned Klau Library, The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, museums, research institutes and centers, and academic publications. In partnership with the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, HUC-JIR sustains the Reform Movement's congregations and professional and lay leaders. HUC-JIR's campuses invite the community to cultural and educational programs illuminating Jewish heritage and fostering interfaith and multiethnic understanding. www.huc.edu

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